10 Ways to Elevate Your Daily Wellness: Embrace a Healthier and Happier Lifestyle
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In the hustle and bustle of our modern lives, it's all too easy to overlook the significance of daily wellness habits. However, these seemingly small acts of self-care are the foundation upon which a life of vibrancy, resilience, and fulfillment is built. Understanding that wellness isn’t a luxury but paramount for nurturing our physical, mental, and emotional well-being, is the first step to cultivating wellness habits and daily practices that elevate your life. Starting small and implementing one practice at a time is a great way to introduce new habits into your day. It can be overwhelming and a bit daunting when adding to your wellness routine but the benefits are long-lasting for our life journeys.
I believe wellness routines are crucial for us as they play a fundamental role in, not only maintaining but also nurturing our overall health, happiness, and our quality of life. Let’s discuss some ways we can implement elevated daily wellness practices in our lives so we feel, look, and are our absolute best selves. We get one life and there is no reason it shouldn’t be great!
IN THIS POST WE DISCUSS:
Skip the Tech In The A.M.
Implement a morning ritual
Nourish Your Body
The Power of Grattitude
Personal Growth
Prioritize Regular Physical Activity
Connect with Nature
Prioritizing Sleep
Upgrade Your Self-Care
Cherish Moments of Bliss
SKIP THE TECH IN THE A.M.
I have to admit that I used to be super guilty of this one and it took A LOT of inner strength to move into an analog morning. Especially as a business owner, waking up and grabbing my phone to check emails was not ideal for a smooth transition from sleep to our morning routines. Reasons not to grab your phone first thing include:
Increased stress- News updates, social media notifications, and emails can send us into a stressful state or trigger anxiety and overwhelm which can set a negative tone for the day.
Disrupted morning routine - Your phone can distract you from your routine and take you down a rabbit hole of digital content. All of a sudden you can look at the clock and what felt like 5 minutes can end up being 30, taking you off track and compromising the quality of your morning.
Reduced mindfulness - When we grab our phones first thing we disrupt our presence in the moment. We don’t allow our brains to come back online in a natural way and we react more to our external stimuli than being attuned to our thoughts and emotions. This can lead us to diminished clarity to start your day.
This isn’t an exhaustive list but it’s a start. Some ways we can avoid screen time first thing:
Go analog- Invest in a traditional alarm clock. By using a separate alarm you avoid reaching for your phone as soon as you open your eyes.
Charge your phone outside of the bedroom- Placing your phone in a charging station outside of the bedroom helps you avoid the temptation to reach for it as soon as you wake up.
Delay phone access- Make a conscious choice to delay looking at your phone for a specific amount of time. Start with 20-30 minutes and gradually increase the duration as you become comfortable with your practice.
IMPLEMENT A MORNING RITUAL
What is it that gets you excited to hop out of bed in the morning? For me, it’s the smell of coffee coming from my kitchen and the enjoyment I get out of sitting in my living room with my pup enjoying my coffee with my pup, and practicing gratitude. Morning routines are your time for you. They should invigorate your senses and set the tone for your day. Implementing practices like a morning stretch or a healthy breakfast, setting intentions, or meditating can help you put your best self forward to take on the day.
NOURISH YOUR BODY
There’s a reason they say breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and yet it is the most skipped. When you take time to have breakfast you are enabling yourself to take on the day in the most optimal way. Eating a healthy breakfast is essential for many reasons. It:
Boosts Energy
Improves concentration and focus
Enhances physical performance
Regulates blood pressure
controls your appetite throughout the day
Helps with weight management
Improves digestion
A healthy breakfast provides a foundation for a productive and energetic day, whether it’s eggs on toast or if it’s a nutrient-rich smoothie, it provides the brain and the body with the fuel it needs to show up as your best self.
THE POWER OF GRATTITUDE
I am sure you have heard this a million times before but gratitude is one of the most impactful practices we have. It has been linked to improved mental and emotional health. By expressing gratitude we reduce anxiety and stress levels and break negative thought patterns helping to foster a resilient and positive mindset. When we practice gratitude we shift our focus from lack to abundance we experience higher levels of happiness and life satisfaction. Start implementing gratitude by finding 5 to 10 minutes to sit with yourself and think about or write down a list of 10 - 20 things you are grateful for. This will allow your heart to feel full and experience joy. You can do this in the morning, during a break in your day, or before you go to bed and add it to your nighttime routine.
This gratitude journal is one of my favorites.
PERSONAL GROWTH
Tending to your personal growth is arguably the most important aspect of self-care and wellness. it helps give you a sense of purpose and expands your mind. Investing in personal development through reading, learning a new skill, taking an online course, reading blogs, hiring a coach, etc. nurtures a sense of fulfillment. It helps us achieve our goals by fostering empowerment and independence. In this ever-changing world that we live in, it’s important that we cultivate our adaptability and resilience. We can bounce back from setbacks and embrace new opportunities when we build our self-efficacy. Side effects of personal growth may also include but are not limited to:
More independence
Stronger relationships
Stress management
Igniting passions
personal development and growth enhance our emotional intelligence as well as our intelligence quotient empowering us to embrace our true potential and make a positive impact on the world around us.
PRIORITIZE REGULAR PHYSICAL ACTIVITY
Regular exercise is a cornerstone of wellness. Engaging in physical activity isn’t just good for heart health and looking great it also helps to boost mood and reduce stress by releasing endorphins. Incorporating aerobic exercise as well as flexibility will allow for a full spectrum of benefits in your life. Being sure to find activities you enjoy will be the key to keeping up with exercising regularly and liking it! Trial and error is key to finding what works for you. It also doesn’t have to be super intense! (Unless you like intense!) For me, I am in my soft exercise era, which means to get my heart rate up I go for walks or do incline brisk walking on the treadmill. A little weight lifting and for flexibility I love yoga and reformer pilates. My routine is mine and it makes me happy so when you think about what your routine looks like, whether it’s Barry’s or it’s a light jog make it fun for you.
CONNECT WITH NATURE
Get outside to recharge and connect with our natural world. Hiking, gardening, or just taking a walk outside can foster a sense of connectedness with the environment and the earth. It’s been linked to boosting the immune system, increasing cognitive function, and having a positive impact on mental well-being. When we are exposed to natural light during the day and allow it to impact our natural circadian rhythm we can experience better sleep quality. When in nature we also tend to be more present, stress can reduce, and we can in turn feel more positive and happy. Get out into nature, even if it’s sitting on a park bench, and just let yourself listen and connect.
PRIORITIZING SLEEP
We all know that not getting enough sleep sets us up for a very difficult day ahead. Being intentional with our sleep habits is a great way to elevate your wellness routine. Getting enough sleep improves memory, concentration, and problem solving making us more productive. Our bodies take time in the night to recover our physical health, it promotes immune system strengthening and can help reduce the risk of chronic disease. Getting sufficient sleep has also been linked to increased life expectancy. Ways you can help foster higher quality sleep are:
Create and stick to a sleep schedule- being consistent with sleep, even on the weekends helps to regulate your internal clock.
Create a sleep-inducing environment- Invest in soft, crisp sheets and keep the room cool dark, and quiet. blackout curtains or white noise machines can be a great addition to your bedroom for a full night of sleep.
Limit screen time- The blue light emitted from our screens disrupt the production of sleep-inducing hormones. This can trick us to think we aren’t tired and stay up working on our laptops (guilty) or scrolling through our phones endlessly.
Create a nighttime routine- Giving yourself a scheduled hour or so before bed to wind down, do your skincare, and relax with a book or meditation is a great way to prioritize sleep. It signals to your body that sleep is coming soon and allows you to destress.
UPGRADE YOUR SELFCARE
Self-care is defined in the dictionary as “the practice of taking an active role in protecting one's own well-being and happiness, in particular during periods of stress.” It can mean your physical, emotional, mental, or spiritual well-being and promoting a balanced lifestyle. Nurturing and prioritizing self-compassion, recognizing the importance of investing time and effort into yourself. It can be your daily routines or indulgent activities to relax, reduce stress and promote personal growth. It’s ensuring that your individual needs are met so that you can thrive and flourish in various aspects of life.
I love to treat myself to a full spa day with all the bells and whistles a few times a year and I enjoy bringing the spa home to me. Indulging in a luxurious spa-like routine to wind down my day is how I self-care. Self-care can also be implementing boundaries at work or with family and friends. Saying no to a project that you don’t have time for or just don’t want to take on. Volunteering and giving back, engaging in acts of kindness, and contributing to your community can also be a form of self-care as it builds your own fulfillment and sense of purpose. Self-care is a continuous journey of self-discovery and growth. It doesn’t look the same all the time and it’s definitely ok to change it up. Find what works for you at the moment or what helps you feel great!
This candle is the best scent to unwind with & this Nuxe oil is the most luxurious.
CHERISH MOMENTS OF BLISS
As you go through your day notice those moments of happiness or contentment that spark in those moments. Whether it’s the sunset or sharing laughter with those you love. Embrace savoring those moments as life’s true luxuries. Those moments of happiness are a reflection of why life is such a miracle and why wellness and taking care of ourselves is so important. We only get one and want to make it the best one possible!
Elevating your routines can make wellness feel more luxurious and exciting so that you look forward to creating new habits and integrating them into your everyday. Not only is wellness essential to your optimal well-being it allows you to give back to the world in a better and more fulfilling way. Give yourself permission to take care of yourself and do it in a way that makes you feel elevated!
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